Bruins are looking for defensive help...and LA needs offense....could this be a perfect match?

Jack Johnson has been kind of a dissapointment so far, he has tremendous talent but cant seem to stay healthy, so right now i would say no unless LA throw's in another peice to get this done...My guess Brian Boyle...Bruins want size and you cant get much taller then he is....im 30% yes and 70% no on this one

Rask to Colorado for 3rd overall pick

This trade i would do, and the reason is because for the next 3 years we have no where to put Rask besides on the bench playing 25 - 30 games a yr. As much as i love Thomas, you had to either choose one or the other, in my opinion you cant have both, you think Rask will resign with us after next yr to be our backup?...i dont think so, and i certainly dont want to see him walk for nothing, Bruins will get a great player ready to step in within 2 years. Colorado has been looking for their number 1 goalie ever since Patrick Roy retired, i think they would part with a high draft pick to solve there goalie of the future situation....any thoughts?

I have no problem with trading Rask....I hold season tix down here in Prov and even though he flashes brilliant stretches, I still don't get all the hype with him. He lets in too many softies and looks like he loses his concentration at times. He carried us in this years playoffs but I still remember last year's , when we had a deep team that should have gotten to the cup finals with all the talent it had. Tooks can go if it gets us someone good....we can sign capable backups. Sign a good AHL goalie too and keep him here in case of injury....Alex Auld was a good backup...sure we can find another one like him

I like the potential of Jack Johnson and Brian Boyle, but Boyle's barely scratched the surface on the King's lineup and he's nearly 25. Johnson just came off of a bad season, but his potential can be reached with a good teaching coach, and it just so happens we have a great teaching coach in Julien. I'd accept that deal if the Kings threw in former UMass standout Jon Quick, if we would trade Rask then we would need a young goalie for the future. Now if we were to trade Kessel for one young defenseman straight up I would look to St. Louis, who has Erik Johnson, who went #1 overall in 2006, 4 spots ahead of Kessel. Erik Johnson has more potential than Jack Johnson, and he's also a right handed shooter, which is always at a premium for defenseman.

Also, if we were to be close to a deal on Rask to Colorado we may have to sweeten the deal by adding a roster player, perhaps somebody like Sturm or Kobasew, as Colorado needs more than just a goaltender to save their future. If we were to make the Kessel for Jack Johnson, Boyle and Quick trade and Rask and Sturm for the #3 overall, I would also consider dealing Dennis Wideman for a goal scorer, to complete the needs left from the other trades. Perhaps for the rights to Marian Gaborik, and for the critics of Gaborik yes he has been injured but when he is healthy he's one of the top 10 forwards in the League, and he will have a discounted price because of the injuries. I'm not saying this will happen but it's something to consider.

Quick has played great for the Kings, why would they want to trade him?Goaltending hasn't been their problem.

Those trades you proposed are a little too blockbuster to be practical.

I highly highly doubt Sturm would accept a trade to any team that isn't a contender. Why would he ever leave the bruins when his center on the third line is as talented as Bergeron? No trade claus is a big deal.

Trading Dennis wideman is laughable. especially when we traded a goal scorer for him, and led the league in goals scored last year. He is a great puck moving defensemen, something we lacked last year. LOL i can't believe you even said that, this isn't fantasy hockey.

I like Brian Boyle. And I like him not because he has played very well thus far in the NHL, but I think Cam Neely would really light a fire under this kid. His physical play has always been lacking, but playing with him growing up and watching him at B.C., he loves the game enough to make needed changes. He grew up a relentless bruins fan, and i garuntee Cam Neely would have this kid banging bodies in no time.

He's going to score a lot of goals in the NHL at some point. Thats a given.He is a gifted sniper. But if he played a bit like more like Lucic, then the sky is the limit for this kid.

With that being said, I agree with you on the defensemen trade.I would support a trade of Kessel for anoter quality defensemen. I was firmly in the corner of trading him for Pronger at the deadline last year.

I would love to see the B's re-sign Kessel. He will be a 50 goal scorer. But if they move him, I like the the Jack Johnson trade. Johnson was the #3 pick the year Crosby went #1. Kessel was #5 a year later. It usually takes a defenseman 3-4 years to really develop (see Pronger). Pair him with Hunwick as they are friends and were teamates at U-Michigan. If they could sqeeze Boyle out of Dean Lombardi (a Ludlow native), that would be a bonus. Johnson will be be one of the best d-men in the NHL in a couple of years. As far as Rask goes, keep him. Without question. I have had season tickets for 20 years and have been waiting for the B's to get a great young goalie to anchor the team for 10 years or more and I believe this is the kid. Thomas has been great and will be #1 for the next couple of years while Rask plays 15-20 games a year and then he'll be ready to be #1.

No-trade clauses have had a crack shown in their iron shielded protection, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dan Boyle last year. The Lightning wanted to trade Boyle, but Boyle had a no-trade clause and didn't want to be moved. The eventually were able to move him to the San Jose Sharks. Why did this change you ask? Because the threat of going through waivers can change a tune. While the Avalanche were one of the worst teams in the league last year they were only two seasons removed from the playoffs and still have the talent. Last year they were without a legitimate goaltender, relying on Peter Budaj, who while not a bad goaltender isn't a #1 goalie, and the recycled Andrew Raycroft, who everybody in Boston knows well. With Rask and a half legitimate goaltender (one that can be attained in free agency), and a puck moving defenseman to replace the traded Jordan Leipold the Avalanche can remain a playoff contender. With talent like Joe Sakic (likely his final season), Paul Statsny, Ryan Smyth, Milan Hedjuk, and Adam Foote they have the skills and experience to make a winning team.

As for Wideman yes he did well this season but the Bruins don't like soft players, and Wideman is one of the softest in the league. That said they would still fetch a good player for Wideman from a team in need of a puck moving defenseman.

And as for bongojr I agree the Bruins need a goaltender of the future, but Chiarelli's biggest folly as GM is putting one year too long on Thomas' deal. Rask is a talented goaltender who is not going to want to wait 4 more years before he gets a legitimate shot.

I don't recommend making any trades except moving sturm somewhere so they can resign axlesson and yelle, two players vital to the Bruin's penalty kill.

My initial reaction is that the Bruins wouldn't waive Sturm. I'm thinking that the situations are different because Tampa Bay was a terrible team, so waiving Boyle might have been a more legitimate thing to do. In their case, the tampa team would have been terrible with or without Boyle. They probably just wanted some salary flexibility for the future considering they are rebuilding around Stamkos. They don't care about immediate salary flexibility.

because of this, Boyle might have accepted the trade because he didn't want to call the teams bluff.

The Bruins on the other hand probably realize that Sturm has value, and I don't believe they would let him go for nothing. Since the Bruins came so close to the Conference finals, i highly doubt they would just waive a player they could have gotten a contributing piece for. What if Sturm scores 20 goals next season before the dead-line? Don't you think a contender would give you something back for him? Would you even want to trade him then?

even if that happens, the waiver period doesn't start until 12 days before the regular season. So even if you just wanted his salary to sign other players, those players would have missed training camp already. Creating obvious issues. More likely, this will be solved much earlier than when waiver season begins.

I'm not so sure about this, it sounds like an interesing option. I'm interested to hear more opinions.

As for Wideman yes he did well this season but the Bruins don't like soft players, and Wideman is one of the softest in the league. That said they would still fetch a good player for Wideman from a team in need of a puck moving defenseman. And as for bongojr I agree the Bruins need a goaltender of the future, but Chiarelli's biggest folly as GM is putting one year too long on Thomas' deal. Rask is a talented goaltender who is not going to want to wait 4 more years before he gets a legitimate shot. I don't recommend making any trades except moving sturm somewhere so they can resign axlesson and yelle, two players vital to the Bruin's penalty kill.Posted by joeschmo25

As for Wideman yes he did well this season but the Bruins don't like soft players, and Wideman is one of the softest in the league. That said they would still fetch a good player for Wideman from a team in need of a puck moving defenseman. And as for bongojr I agree the Bruins need a goaltender of the future, but Chiarelli's biggest folly as GM is putting one year too long on Thomas' deal. Rask is a talented goaltender who is not going to want to wait 4 more years before he gets a legitimate shot. I don't recommend making any trades except moving sturm somewhere so they can resign axlesson and yelle, two players vital to the Bruin's penalty kill.Posted by joeschmo25

I agree with joeschmo25, the 4th year on Thomas' contract was a stretch by PC. I think it may have been a reward for past accomplishments. But if Rask develops as we all hope he does, I see possibly in year 3 and certainly in year 4 of Thomas' contract that Rask will be #1 and Thomas as the 15-20 game guy.

I would not trade Kessel for Johnson straight up. Maybe if L.A. sent a prospect along with Johnson but not 1 for 1. Johnson hasn't lived up to his potential yet while Kessel has proven to be a solid goal scorer. If the B's are looking to L.A. for D-man I'd try to get Kyle Quincey. Q is capable of running the PP and is a solid defensive defenseman as well. I watched him all his AHL career here in GR and I believe he'd be a good fit along the blue line.

Unless the B's feel Regan can be a dominant #1 NHL goalie I'd keep Rask. Tuukka will see about 30 games a season for 2 years then he'll gradually get an increased role. The B's can't give up a goalie who has the potential of Rask. He has the ability to be a top 5 NHL goalie for many years. You don't trade that away unless you are sure you can replace it. He'll be 24 as he gets a bigger role and will continue to improve as he develops. Most goalies don't hit their prime until they are 24 -26 anyway and Rask will be right there.

Two years ago, LA scored plenty, but couldn't stop diddly. Let's not forget that LA's main mission coming into last seaon under new coach Terry Murray was to instill a defense-first approach teamwide and lower LA's goals against. Murray succeeded, probably beyond expectations, but in doing so, the Kings sacrificed a lot of scoring. Next season, LA should be a playoff team.

Doughty's the ONLY defenseman I'd trade Kessel for...he's widely considered to be an up and coming offensive force from the blueline. Young defenseman Hickey, who played a few games for Manchester at the end of the year, shows Hunwick-type offensive potential. Fearless, smart and skates well, LA could be tempted to trade him if the right deal came along.

No, I wouldn't take Kyle Quincey, who recently had pretty major back surgery, significant enough that other clubs won't be interested in him until they can see him play again.

Nor Jack Johnson either. The jury's definitely still out on this guy.

But why would LA be willing to trade Doughty, Johnson, Hickey or Quincey? They've spent years building up their d-core, why tear them apart just when they're on the verge of jelling. The same is true for former UMass goalie Quick. He's miles better than the more highly touted former #1 pick Jonathan Bernier, who played in Manchester most of past two seasons.

Center Brian Boyle? This past season, under orders from Kings GM Dean Lombardi, the 6'-7" Boyle transformed himself into a physical player at the AHL level. In the handful of games he played for LA, he wasn't nearly as physical, but hey those NHL guys are difficult to catch. Nevertheless, Boyle's work ethic is unmatched. He's come a long way. I see his NHL role as being a solid third line center, checking, hitting, taking key face-offs, all while scoring 15-20 goals per season. Boyle has the skating skills of a smaller player, not unlike Wheeler in that respect. I'd love to see B's get Boyle, but not straight-up for Kessel. (Kessel for Boyle and Hickey maybe?) I'd still rather keep Kessel than Savard, who will surely walk for nothing after next season.

Just to clarify, Doughty's the ONLY LA defenseman I'd trade Kessel for.

And when I say "Boyle has the skating skills of a smaller player, not unlike Wheeler in that respect.", that doesn't mean Boyle skates as well as Wheeler. He doesn't, as Wheeler's quite a bit faster, but they both skate like smaller players and that's a good thing.

While I would love Doughty he is their only untouchable defenseman as of right now. As for why would they want to move anybody, Los Angeles already has those 4 young defenseman playing IN the NHL, and have at least 3 with NHL caliber, including Colten Teubert the 13th overall pick in last year's draft, Vyacheslav Voinov, a skilled Russian defenseman (who is aready playing over here) who was a steal in the 2nd round of last year's draft, Hickey, and Alec Martinez, a 2006 draft pick who has shown good potential. They have the depth in defense to deal even a proven player, seeing as even they wouldn't be able to afford all those defenseman even if only 4 fill their potential. Bernier is only 20, maybe 21, he was drafted 11th overall in the same year as Kessel and as it's been discussed in this section goalies take longer to adjust, and Quick is also two years older who has played in a professional ranks. Bernier will be NHL ready within 2 years, and has potential that equals or exceeds Rask's. As for Jack Johnson as Mark Stuart and Matt Lashoff have shown defenseman take longer to adjust to the NHL. Everybody has their own pace but Johnson has shown the intangibles of a franchise defenseman, but with every trade comes some risk. So anybody who likes what the Kings have propose a trade of your own, and for those who don't check out some research, I myself rely on the site www.hockeysfuture.com which shows prospects for all 30 teams.

Voynov, pretty good offensively, is questionable on D, and not remotely physical; he'll play in the NHL two years from now (possibly at the end of next season), but Martinez will not. I watched Martinez all year at Manchester, forget him. A hitter, fearless but small of stature for a D, just okay at the point, and a bit shaky in the defensive zone.

Hickey's skilled, smart, also a bit small for NHL D, but might be a poor man's version of Caps Mike Green (who fell apart as this past season wound down, was he hurt?). No one would mind that, provided he can play a little D too.

You're also reading too much into prospects, players young enough that can be taught to become well rounded. Voynov is 19, Hickey 20, and Martinez almost 22. They won't all become stud defenseman, though Hickey has the most potential to become an allstar, but they will become solid NHL defenseman. Johnson may and I believe will become a stud defenseman, and Doughty will as well. Quincey and Hickey can become solid second line defenseman should all remain on the Kings, and they have the potential to be first line defenseman on a less stacked team. Defenseman don't mature until 3-5 years after they are drafted, the longer the maturation time coming the later they're drafted in a given year. They may not show the talent to step in right away, but I believe they will all be on the Kings within 3 years, with Hickey being first, then Voinov, then Martinez last.

Seriously I mean I live in So Cal go to about 4-5 Kings games a year and don't know half the stuff BruinsCountry and Joe know...hmmm might have to actually grab a Kings Media guide over at the EspnZone one of these days.

I'm usually up in the cheap seats at Staples Yelling "When's Mcsorley gonna brake his stick over someones head!" The Bs don't even come out here anymore.

You guys may have made some good points on this topic, but due to the absolute absurdity of the original post, I breezed by that stuff without even reading it.hold on...kessel, 36 goal scorer - 60 points in 70 games, 21 years old, plus 23. Hmm, thats a very good offensive player, if were going to swap him for a D man hes going to have to have some offensive upside and a good overall game, okay, I don't know too much about Johnson, so lets take a look at him. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA, unless tsn is bullsh*ting me he has 22 points in 120 NHL games. Hes a defensemen though, points isn't everything even though he is supposed to be a "skill" defensemen. Oh, he had the worst plus minus on the kings, -18. Hmmm. PASS. The guy is pretty good but he takes himself out of the play way too much.Brian Boyle???? stop

As for Tuukka being traded for the number 3 pick, I don't see why. Hedman wont be available, so lets keep him. Keep in mind that if we hold onto him, and he signs as an RFA with anyone for 2.6 or more, we get at least one first rounder and another pick as well, he wouldn't walk for nothing.

This team was pretty darn good last year, and was a few injuries, a defensemen, and some experience away from being in the finals last year, lets not go ripping the team apart with blockbuster trades if we don't have to.

No, I wouldn't take Kyle Quincey, who recently had pretty major back surgery, significant enough that other clubs won't be interested in him until they can see him play again.

Just an F.Y.I.

I saw Kyle here in GR during the AHL playoffs. He was in town watching the Grand Rapids Griffins. His surgery for a herniated disc went fine and he's expected to be 100% for the upcoming season. You do make some valid points though.

The only reason I'm knowledgeable about some of LA's players is because I see LA's AHL club, the Manchester Monarchs, play about 35 games per season. Martinez and Voynov played for Manch. most of the past season, and Hickey came aboard for last 8-10 games of the season. I also watch more than my share of Kings games, which is why I question Jack Johnson's development. If any coach can unlock Johnson's potential, Kings coach Terry Murray's the guy. Right now, I'd take Mark Stuart and Hunwick over Jack Johnson.

If B's wind up moving Kessel for a big, young, mobile defenseman, I'd prefer Blues D Eric Johnson or Wild's D/F Brett Burns, either of whom might be available this summer.